


surprisingly

by petx



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 14:50:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17266184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petx/pseuds/petx
Summary: Alec trying to return something a few days before Christmas make his life take a turn, for the better.This story was written for the ShadowAdvent Calendar.





	surprisingly

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the ShadowAdvent Calendar (2018).  
> I ended up having a lot less time than planned and because I don't usually write stories this short, it didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped for, but I like it enough to post it here and hope you like it too.  
> The name was changed from 'Surprisingly Perfectly' to just 'Surprisingly'. 
> 
> Thank you to @_makeitblue (http://www.twitter.com/_makeitblue) for beta reading this story for me.

Clenching his eyes shut for a second, Alec tried his very best to keep his cool as the somewhat annoying redhead behind the counter explained to him for the 5th time that he could only get store credit and that they would not give him his money back.

“There is nothing here that I would ever want. Do I look like a jewellery kind of man to you?”

He heard the hostility in his own voice, but he couldn’t hold it back, he just wanted to get it all over and done with. Inhaling slowly he looked at the girl, who again had a nervous smile on her face, indicating that maybe he had been a little harsher than he had planned to.

“Sir, I understand that this is not what you want to hear, but–”  
Alec cut her off, speaking a little too loudly, knowing he was making a scene “No, just please could you make an exception”.

“Is there a problem here?” A man stepped up next to the redhead, looking the part of a salesperson in a high-end jeweller like they were in. Just like the woman he stood next to, he was dressed to the nines and wearing the merchandise. “Lightwood?”  

Tightening his grip on the ring in his hand, Alec it down on the counter before turning around, leaving it behind as he tried his best to not cry; not from sadness or frustration, but anger as he left the store.  
  
*****  
  
Sitting on the tall bar stool, Alec nursed a pint as he dejectedly started at one of the small TVs hanging above the bar. The place was almost empty;the only other people were some workers from the factory nearby who came in for a drink after work and Maia who was working, but given how quiet it was,  she was sitting off to the side studying.

Running his fingertip around the rim of the glass, Alec’s eyes followed the movements on the screen of the men running around on a pitch. He wasn’t too interested in football, but the game was the only thing on and taking his eyes off the screen meant having to deal with his own thoughts, which he didn’t want to just yet.

Grabbing the pint, he was about to lift it and take another sip when someone stepped up next to him, sliding an envelope over to him. Looking at it, Alec turned to see a man smile gently at him “Bane?”

“So you do recognize me?” Magnus replied and smiled as he took a seat next to him.

Nodding, Alec turned his attention back to his drink. “What is that?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the envelope in front of him. The white paper had a golden print of the jewellers logo on it. He hadn’t truly paid attention back there, but now looking back, he knew it was Magnus who was the man next to the redhead.

“It’s store credit, ” Magnus answered, glancing over at Maia who hadn’t even noticed that he had come in. He used to hang out here all the time when he had come back from Europe, but he still didn’t know her too well. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but it’s a lot of money to just leave behind”.

“I really don’t want it” Alec replied shortly and pushed the envelope back over towards Magnus.

Looking at him, Magnus felt something in his stomach tighten up or maybe drop away, leaving behind an empty dark pit of nothing. He didn’t know what it was, but ever since the first time he had noticed Alec, he had always found him… interesting.

“Christmas is in a few days,” he tentatively said. “You could use the money to get something for Isabelle or maybe your mum?” It was a small town: people talked and he knew what had happened, even if he didn’t know the details. The way Alec had forcefully returned the ring would have given him a clear indicator even if he hadn’t known.

“I don’t want to taint a gift to them with anything connected to _him_ ” Alec almost spat out that last word, the feeling of betrayal and anger bubbling up from under the surface at the mere thought of him. “I just wanted the money back so I could use it to pay for gas or something stupid that would just disappear, not to buy a thing that would be a constant reminder of the time and money I wasted on him”. Christmas was going to suck enough without buying something new that would forever be tainted because of it. Brad had always been a bit of a Grinch and Alec had wanted to give him a reason to look forward to the day; make it an anniversary and a celebration of their love. Instead, he had possibly ruined the holiday for himself from now until the end of time.

Magnus knew who _him_ was, it didn’t take a genius to know he was talking about Brad. Alec and Brad had been a couple for as long as Magnus had known who he was. With Alec being three years younger than him, Magnus hadn’t known who he was until he returned from studying abroad and by then the oldest Lightwood kid was 19 and had already been in a relationship with Brad for a year. Three years later, that seemed to not be the case any more.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked just as Maia came over, having finally noticed him and without asking made him a drink, knowing what he liked.

“There isn’t anything to talk about. He is a jerk, I’m a fool, end of story”

Magnus had always thought Alec seemed like the quiet type, somewhat reserved, but he usually looked content if nothing else and now, he seemed to barely be a shadow of himself: hunched over, his hair messy and sticking out in every direction, and he could probably do with a shave. “I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it” Alec just muttered into his drink . He and Brad had been together for four years, and he had been so sure that it was going to be the two of them for the rest of his life. The idea of getting out there again was crushing his spirit. He didn’t like going out, he wasn’t social like that and didn’t do well with flirting. Brad had always joked that Alec could never cheat because he didn’t even understand when people flirted with him, much less actually deciding to flirt back. At the end of the day, it hadn’t been an issue what Alec could or couldn’t do, but what Brad could.

Placing his hand over one of Alec’s on the bar counter, Magnus gave Alec a soft smile, hoping the fact that he understood what he was going through somehow showed in the way he looked at him. “Hey, you want to go shoot some pool? Unless you are really interested in that..” he glanced up at the screen, seeing that it was a rerun of a College Football game from several months back  “...game” he finished off, pulling his hand back once he noticed how he had let it linger. “I bet you a drink I can beat you”.

“No way” Alec huffed, taking his eyes off his drink and glancing over at Magnus. “I mean, I can play but no way you’ll beat me”.

“Oh we’ll see.  Bring your A game, Pretty Boy” he winked as he got up, happy to see that Alec was following right behind.  
  
*****  
  
They had played four rounds and Magnus had won two of them. He would have liked to say that he had let Alec win the last two, but if he was honest with himself he knew that wasn’t the case. Alec was clever, did well when it came to maths and he had taken up archery as a hobby for a while (until Brad had pressured him to drop it for the ever-so-exciting sport; golf, because it ‘looked better’.) All of those three things meant that he had advantages when it came to pool, but Magnus had played a lot more than him when he went abroad so it had evened out over the four games. While they had played, they had talked a fair bit; not so much about the events that had led them to the bar that night,  but just life in general. Magnus had known that the oldest Lightwood had never attended college , the fact that he worked at the car factory (on the floor) underlined that fact, but he hadn’t known the reason before. The Lightwood family wasn’t poor, but they also weren’t well enough off to send all their kids through college, and Alec and his adopted brother Jace had both given up on doing so to make sure their sister Isabelle could, and one day their younger brother, Max.

“It’s not the worst of jobs: it’s steady and pays enough for me to live, so I can’t complain” Alec explained when Magnus asked if he didn’t want to do something more with his life. “I could always take over this place one day if I want to. Cars may not be the future, but I doubt alcohol will ever go out of fashion” he smiled, leaning against the pool table. He was feeling a lot better. Maybe it was the beer or maybe it was the company: either way he was enjoying himself for the first time in a week (God, it felt longer).

Sipping his Martini, Magnus leaned against the table next to Alec and looked at his drink, or more correctly, his empty glass. “Let me get you a new one”.

Waving his hand dismissively, Alec shook his head “No, I have work tomorrow, I shouldn’t have more” he explained, giving a crooked smile.

“A coke maybe?” Magnus suggested, not really wanting them to go their separate ways just yet. He had known about Alec for years, but he had always kept his distance in respect of the relationship he had been in. The idea of just being friends with him didn’t sit wrong with him, but he had also known that with living in such a small place where everyone knew everyone's business,  them becoming friends would have got people talking.

Looking down at his empty glass and then at the watch on his wrist, Alec nodded “Or a juice maybe. Get it for me, will you? Just put it on my tab again” he smiled “I just need to visit the men’s”.

“Sure thing” Magnus nodded and headed for the bar, leaving Alec to go do his business. Reaching it, he put his glass down, seeing that the envelope he had brought was still laying there. When Maia came over he ordered a juice and a new drink for himself and asked her to put the envelope away and write Alec’s name on it. More people had come into the bar at this point,   and even though Alec had said he didn’t want it, to Magnus it was still too much money for him to just throw away. He had been there the day he had bought the ring: Alec of course hadn’t noticed him, but who would have eyes for anyone else when they were shopping for an engagement ring? He had seemed so happy that day, almost giddy which didn’t really match up with what most people thought of when they tried to picture the oldest Lightwood. Ragnor, a good friend of Magnus, also worked at the factory, almost an identical position to Alec so he knew that the ring would have set him back about three/four months pay. Of course it wasn’t as much as some would spend on a ring, but it was a lot of money for Alec, or Magnus for that matter, and just the thought of what he must have sacrificed to save up for it, how much Brad must have meant to him made what he had done to him so much worse.

“Here you go” Maia smiled, handing him the drink. “How is he holding up?”

Thanking her, Magnus paid for both, like he had done all evening and smiled “Ok, I think.”

“Good. It’s nice to see him smile” she added before giving him the change and turning away, the place too busy now for her to stand around and chat.

Back by the pool table, Magnus found a seat in the corner and sat down just a minute or so before he was joined by Alec again.

“Thanks” Alec smiled and took his drink. He wasn’t drunk, not even tipsy really, but he didn’t want to be when he had such a long shift the day after. Sebastian, a guy working with him and who was one of the guys he got along best with, had been sick for a month and to make sure they didn’t find someone else to take his job, Alec was covering as many of his shifts for him as possible until he came back. A part of him wanted to talk to Magnus about how cruel the industry was, not for any other reason than that he wanted to just talk with him about everything and nothing. He had never been the talkative type, but he felt like he could be when it came to Magnus. “Also, thank you for keeping me company. I think I needed the distraction” he added honestly,.

“Don’t, I’m here for purely selfish reasons” Magnus said and flashed him an innocent smile. It wasn’t completely true; he had wanted to bring him the envelope because he felt Alec shouldn’t waste the money, but it was partly true because he had jumped at the possibility to talk to him when the chance presented itself. “I am happy I could distract you for a bit though”.

Not sure if bringing up the subject was the best thing to do, Alec bit his lip before looking over at Magnus. It was a tiny place, everyone knew everyone's business, even if they didn’t know them personally so he did know a little bit about his past too. “How did you get over it?” He asked, knowing that maybe it was a bit unfair, but he just felt so unwanted, unloved and kind of empty and if the talk around town was right, Magnus knew firsthand what it was like to be cheated on.

Humming, Magnus took another sip of his drink. It was years since he had been with Camille, but of course people here didn’t forget and of course everyone knew what had happened, even if what they knew wasn’t 100% accurate, it also wasn’t wrong. “I don’t think you get over it, you just, get past it, if that makes sense.” He didn’t know how to explain it, he was no expert, but if it could help to talk about it, he didn’t mind, not any more. “I think the most important thing to remember is that you did nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with you, she is the bitch, or he, in your case” he smiled.

Alec wasn’t sure if he really was at the point just yet, it felt like he was the reason, like he hadn’t been enough, but it made sense. “She was a bitch” he agreed. He didn’t really know Camille, she didn’t live in the area but Jace had met her enough to know and he had called her every name under the sun, and he trusted his judgment. He should have trusted him when it came to Brad too, seeing Jace had never liked him, maybe he just had an eye for it. “You are better off without her” he added. He didn’t know Magnus, but he felt like he knew him enough already to say that with a certain amount of confidence.

“And you are better off without Brad” Magnus echoed, smiling against the rim of his glass.

“I don’t know. He might be a dick but, he is really smart, he comes from a good family, he is good-looking and he is gonna be a lawyer, if all goes to plan. I feel like he settled and I played out of my league, maybe that’s why...” _I wasn’t enough_. He didn’t say the last part, even if he felt it.

Shaking his head and almost laughing at the absurdity of his thinking, Magnus put his drink down on the table. “That’s bullshit, pardon my French. His family means nothing, lawyers are scumbags, he isn’t half as good-looking as you are and if he was so damn smart, he wouldn’t have done anything to fuck up what you guys had. He didn’t settle, you did and now you can go find someone better who will treat you right” he smiled. “And I don’t care that I just sounded like an inspirational moment in a chick-flick, it’s all true”.

Finding himself laughing at Magnus’ words, not because of what he said but the way he said it, Alec also felt a small blush creep up his neck, warming the tip of his ears. “Thanks, I guess”.

“You are welcome, Alexander. Any man would be lucky to have you”

Sitting there in silence for a moment, Alec slowly sipped at his drink, his eyes wandering over the increasing amount of people in the bar. “You know, I used to have a crush on you, once upon a time” Alec admitted, the heat in his cheeks still very much there as he kept his eyes on the growing crowd.

“Really? When” Magnus asked, finding he liked that idea.

“You may have been my first crush. You worked at that clothing store, the one that's shut down now. Jace used to play football and I’d go watch him just so I could stop by the mall on the way home to see you” he smiled. “We were just kids and I thought you were _so_ cool” Alec chuckled at the memory. They had both just been teens back then and he wasn’t sure if he had even known at that point that it was a crush, he might at the time just have admired him.

Laughing, Magnus leaned back in his seat “Good God, I was _not_ cool back then”.

“Probably not, but I was even less cool so you were probably awesome in comparison” he smiled, not actually embarrassed about admitting it. It was so long ago, too innocent for him to feel anything other than a slight fondness to the memory.

“It couldn’t have been the strongest of crushes though, because by the time I came home from France you didn’t even notice me when I entered the room. I don’t think we’ve spoken more than ten words to each other since then” Magnus said with a smile, just playing with him. He hadn’t even known who Alec was before he left to study abroad so he wasn’t in any position to say anything.

“Hey” Alec laughed “I had a boyfriend by then, I only had eyes for him” The second he thought of Brad, his smile dropped a little.

“Yeah” Magnus nodded, seeing the shift in the mood again “I know. The way you looked at him back then and how I didn’t exist.. I was a little jealous” Not shying away after he had said it, Magnus looked straight back at him when he turned to look at him. Alec’s hazel coloured eyes looked bright in the dim, warm light and the confusion shining through in them made it all the sweeter. Holding his breath for a second, Magnus knew it was risky considering it hadn’t even been a week since Alec and Brad had split, but he had thought about it too many times over too long to not try, so when it stayed silent, he leaned forward and ever so gently pressed a soft kiss against Alec’s lips.

Pulling back slowly, he just looked at Alec, waiting for him to react to what had happened. What was most likely not more than a few seconds felt like years as he waited for him to at best kiss him back, at worst push him away and leave.

Swallowing slowly, Alec asked in a breathy whisper “Wh–what was that?”

“Something I’ve kind of wanted to do for a long time” Magnus admitted. He didn’t know Alec, never had, but he had been drawn to him ever since he returned from France but also respected him too much to act on it. “Should I not have?”

Wetting his lips, Alec wasn’t sure what to say. Glancing out in the room, no one was looking at them. It wasn’t a secret that he was gay, the people he worked with was surprisingly open-minded considering a lot of them were old men having grown up and lived their entire life in the small place; but he still kept public affection to a minimum, for his own comfort. Not finding the words, he decided to act instead of talking and leaned back towards Magnus, closing his eyes just as their lips met for the second time. Feeling the softness of the others lips against his own, he felt a small tingle run down his spine as he reached over, placing a hand on Magnus’ knee as he let the kiss deepen.

Feeling a familiar but still new feeling of warmth somewhere deep inside of him, Alec enjoyed the taste off Martini on his lips and tongue, shifting closer as he felt Magnus’ hand against his chest. Humming against his lips, Alec slowly pulled back, feeling a second wave of tingles as he looked at the older man. He needed this, _this_ was exactly what could help him.

“Do you want to...” he trailed off, lowering his eyes to his own lap and then over to Magnus’ where his hand still rested on his knee. “...want to come upstairs?”

Magnus knew what ‘upstairs’ meant. The bar didn’t have a second floor, upstairs was the flat Alec had lived in with his brother before moving in with Brad, and he guessed he had moved back there; so upstairs meant ‘do you want to go back to mine’. Going so quickly from a kiss to this was a surprise, but no matter what he meant they should head upstairs for, there was no way he would say no, so he nodded slowly and smiled.“Yes”.  
  
*****  
  
Having made their way out of the bar and around the back to where a staircase had brought them upstairs, Magnus found himself standing in the middle of a much more nicely decorated living room than he had pictured, body held tightly against Alec’s as their lips crushed together.

Feeling his heart thunder in his chest, Alec slowly guided Magnus backwards through the living room without breaking away from him. With his hands roaming over the other man’s body, he tried to keep his own breathing in check. He had only ever been with Brad like this, never even kissed another person but the second their lips had touched he had known that he wanted this, needed it. Magnus was smart, kind, funny and very good-looking; he needed someone like him to want him. Taking one of his hands off Magnus for a second to open the door to his bedroom, the two of them stumbled in through and Alec chuckled against his lips as he waved his arm behind himself, trying to close the door and eventually succeeded.

Trying to unbutton his own shirt while walking backwards into what had to be Alec’s room, Magnus also chuckled at how clumsily they were moving, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was here, something he hadn’t seen coming and wouldn’t have dared to dream would happen when he first kissed him downstairs. Alec was reserved, one of the few people in the area that didn’t have more or less a public list of previous flings and somehow he was the one pushing, moving the both of them over to the bed while undressing.

“I’m just...” Alec pulled enough back to be able to reach down and grab a hold of his jumper, pulling it and the t-shirt he had under up over his head, throwing it down on the floor. Before he could react, Magnus had turned them around and pushed him backwards onto the bed. Falling back, Alec shifted backwards until he was fully on the bed and watched as Magnus rid himself of his shirt and got on the bed with him, crawling up over him and settling between his legs before leaning down to kiss him again.

Fumbling with the buttons of Alec’s trousers, Magnus was humming approvingly against his lips as eager hands started undoing his.

The two of them almost awkwardly moved about, pulling at each other and their own remaining clothes until they were free of them and Alec groaned wantonly against Magnus’ lips as he felt the other’s naked body pressed against his own.

“God damn, you’re so hot” Magnus mumbled against his lips as his hands roamed over Alec’s body. He had tried to imagine what he looked like naked once or twice before, but actually seeing and feeling it was something completely different and when Alec wrapped his long legs around his waist, pulling him even closer and their fully erected cocks pressed against each other, Magnus was sure he saw stars.

It was a little different and it took them some time to fully be able to understand each other’s  movements but after a while the clumsy way they had moved about it the beginning changed to more fluid motions. By the time Alec reached for bedside table drawer to find condoms and lube, they moved together like it was the most natural things in the world.

Taking the offered lube, Magnus sat back, his lips already feeling a little sore, but he wouldn’t change it for anything as he looked at Alec, naked, sprawled out on the mattress in front of him. Opening the cap, he coated his fingers as the younger man chewed on his lower lip while spreading his legs for him, looking so good it felt like it shouldn’t be real. Reaching out, Magnus gently stroke his hand up the full length of Alec’s cock, feeling the soft skin against the palm of his hand as he wrapped his fingers around it, enjoying the sight of the other man as he tensed up for a second and then shuddered visibly. Slowly starting to stoke him, he watched as Alec soundlessly gasped and rocked his hips up to meet his touch. He always looked good, but now, like this, he looked heavenly. Moving his right hand down between his spread legs he rubbed his fingers suggestively against his opening, waiting until Alec got used to the sensation and relaxed before slowly pressing two fingers past the tight ring of muscles.

Keeping his eyes closed as he let Magnus’ hands and fingers work him, Alec arched his back and bit his lip hard to keep himself quiet as he let himself be opened. He wasn’t used to it taking this long but Magnus was taking his time and by the time he pulled back, Alec already felt like he was close to coming from his touch alone. His skin felt like it was on fire, sweat forming at the back of his neck as small waves of fire ran down his back. Opening his eyes slowly, he watched as Magnus rolled one of the condoms over his own hard cock. Breathing hard, his mind spinning with anticipation, Alec felt a pleasurable rush from the way Magnus looked at him, how eager he seemed and when he was finally positioned between his legs, lips crushing together, he was sure he had done the right thing inviting him up.

Using his hand to guide his cock, angling it right before pushing in, Magnus moved to bury his face against the croock of Alec’s neck, silencing his moans against his soft skin as he felt him clench tight around him, his hole hungrily swallowing his full length. “Fuck! God you feel good” he groaned, nibbling and kissing up his neck as Alec gasped underneath him,  arms reaching up around him, pulling Magnus close.

Feeling his entire body tingling, Alec pushed back up against Magnus as he thrusted into him, curling his toes and digging his short nails into Magnus’ back. He had needed this: the feeling of being close, feeling wanted. Inhaling sharply and holding his breath, trying to keep himself from moaning, his breath hitching in his throat.

“Relax, beautiful” Magnus purred, leaving a trail of small kisses up his neck, feeling how tense he still was.

Keeping his eyes closed, Alec tried to do as he was told. He usually held back, tried to do it just right, _be_ just right.

Leaving small butterfly kisses up his neck and along his jawline, Magnus found Alec’s lips again and nibbled at his lower lip. “Don’t think, just breath...” he smiled before recapturing his lips in a deep kiss.

Letting himself get lost in the kiss, Alec was caught off guard as he once again felt Magnus’ hands around on his cock, moaning loudly as his skilled hand started stroking him.

“That’s it” Magnus mumbled in between wet kisses “that’s hot” he continued as Alec was coming undone beneath him, the sound of pleasure escaping his lips filling him with lust and need. It had been a long time since he had been with someone and being there with Alec was making his head spin and his skin tingle.  
  
*****  
  
Pressing his hands against Magnus’ chest to steady himself, Alec felt his thighs burn as he used all his remaining strength to move over him. Letting his head drop back, it felt like the entire room was moving, turning and spinning.

Holding onto Alec’s hips, Magnus tried helping him move but was increasingly struggling as a pool of heat grew in the pit of his stomach, biting so hard into his lower lip he could almost taste blood. The feeling of Alec clenching and unclenching around him, the sight of him stroking himself while moving in please mixed with the sounds he was making was too much. “I can’t, I’m gonna come” he stuttered only seconds before he did, his entire body shaking as a wave of blinding pleasure rocked his body, moaning Alec’s name.

Staying on top of him, feeling a soft warmth at the sound of his own name on the other man’s lips, Alec kept rocking back and forth over Magnus, feeling drowsy himself as he lazily stroked himself, tightening the grip just enough and flicking his wrist just right to push himself to the edge.

Magnus lay breathing, his body feeling like jelly but thoroughly enjoying the sight of the younger man pleasuring himself while using him. Running his tired hands up Alec’s thighs, he massaged the soft skin, shivering as he felt like he was being milked, the warm tightness of Alec still pulling him in ever after he came. “Fuck” he groaned to himself, trying to thrust up into the wanting hole as he felt the others muscles almost spasm under his fingertips.

Moaning maybe a little too loudly, Alec moved his hand faster as he felt the pressure of his orgasm build before it was released with a shock wave of pleasure, blinding him as he felt his own cum running down over his fingers, coating his throbbing cock. Mere seconds after he had reached his climax, Alec lifted himself up for one last time to be able to get off Magnus, letting himself collapse next to him.

Blinking slowly, having to keep himself from falling asleep, Magnus sat up against his better judgment and offended every muscle in his body further by getting up. “Bin?” he asked, his voice sounding sore because of his dry his mouth felt. Watching as Alec half waved, half pointed off towards the door, Magnus walked over and got rid of the condom before picked up a towel that was hanging over the back of a simple wooden chair. Holding it up with a questioning look on his face, too tired to talk, Magnus waited until the other man on the bed nodded before he used it to dry off some of the sweat as well as Alec’s cum. He threw the towel over to Alec who, with slow lazy movements, used it to partially clean himself off before throwing it down on the floor.

“C’mere” Alec mumbled, feeling like he was half asleep already “Come. Here” he tried again, making sure to enunciate the words better when Magnus just looked confused at him. Smiling as he did what he was told, Alec rolled over onto his side when Magnus got back in, reaching out and pulling him close. He liked this part, probably more than the actual sex. The cuddling after and the waking up in the morning  was his favourite thing; or it had been.

“You are like a not-so-mini heater” Magnus hummed as he wiggled back against Alec, not at all minding being the little spoon.

Already having let his eyes drift shut, Alec smiled as the hair from the back of Magnus’ head tickled his lips “Want me to move?”

“No!” he replied quickly, covering the hand around his waist with his own as Alec held him. “Not even a little bit,” he smiled before falling silent: just laying there listening to the other man’s breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall, enjoying the soft waves of heat coming off him as they both started drifting off to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Slowly opening his eyes, Alec shivered and pulled at the duvet to cover himself up. Glancing over at the old-fashioned digital alarm clock on his bedside table he saw that it was still just 4am, and he could sleep for another two-plus hours. Unsure of why he was even awake, Alec rolled over onto his back and let out a groan as he felt his own sore muscles ache.

Magnus!

As the memories of the night came back to him, he turned his head to see the empty spot beside him. He didn’t really know what he had expected, didn’t know what people usually did in these situations because he had never been in it before, and he realised that he hadn’t wanted to be. The day before, Magnus had been friendly and it had been he himself who had suggested they come here and the other hadn’t said or hinted that it would be anything more than a hook-up, so he couldn’t really blame him for leaving; he had just hoped he wouldn’t. Looking at the door to his room half ajar, Alec knew if he was going to blame anyone, it had to be himself. He had wanted to feel wanted and he had pushed it. Magnus had seemed so great, maybe if he hadn’t been so eager to feel something good again, it could have been something more.

Rolling back over onto his side, Alec pulled his knees up as far as they would go to make himself as small as possible, hugging himself as he tried to close his eyes again. He hadn’t been enough for Brad, not even after all the years they were together, he had cared more for him that he had been cared for in return. Why had he expected this to be any different?

“Stop it, stop it” Alec whispered to himself, clenching his eyes shut. He knew it didn’t help to let his mind go off like that, to eat away at his confidence and self-worth. “Just stop it” he tried again, trying to will himself out of his sinking mood.

“Stop what?” Magnus asked, voice definitely sounding rusty. Taking another sip of the glass of whatever he had got, he looked at the bundled up ball in the bed that was Alec, trying to ignore the slight headache that was working him over. Walking over to the bed, he half emptied the glass before putting it down on the bedside table, crawling back in beside him. . He hadn’t found any of his clothes in the dark so had instead just pulled on Alec’s jumper, just in case he ran into his brother when he went looking for water, and he was thankful he had as the room was pretty cold.

Surprised, Alec had almost jumped when Magnus first spoke and moved over, looking up at him as he came to sit on the edge of the bed. He could just see the silhouette of him against the streetlights outside, shining in through the window, but it still calmed him right down to have the other close.

“I thought you had left” Alec admitted, feeling silly as he did, pushing his upper body up a little as goosebumps covered his chest, shoulders and down his arms.

“Pfft..” Magnus smiled and leaned down, giving him a small kiss before pulling back, a little unsteady as he was still half asleep “I brought two condoms and we’ve only used one. There's no point in leaving before the morning round,” he joked.

Feeling his heart sink, Alec felt sick as he heard Magnus’ words and the second he had, the voice was back in his head, telling him he should have known. “Heh, yeah, of course” he replied, trying not to let the disappointment show in his voice as he lay back down.

Noticing the very sudden shift, even with his mind fifty percent still in dreamland, Magnus got further onto the bed, half laying down next to him “Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good, I’m just sleepy. I should get some more shuteye before work” he answered, pulling the covers back up around himself and rolling over on his side, closing his eyes and hoping that his mind would go silent long enough for him to be able to go back to sleep, knowing he needed it.

Feeling a growing negative feeling in his chest, Magnus watched as Alec pulled away, turning away from him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep you up. I know you need sleep, but...” reaching out, he rested his hand on Alec’s covered shoulder, wanting to turn him around but not wanting to force him “you know I was just joking, right?”

Staying still, Alec didn’t answer.

“It was a bad joke” Magnus went on but was met by more silence, making him feel cold, or colder as he wasn’t under the covers and still only wore Alec’s jumper. “Do you want me to go?”

Inhaling slowly, Alec held his breath for a few seconds before half turning to try to look at Magnus, even if his eyes wouldn’t fully adjust. “Do you want to go?”

“No.” Magnus didn’t hesitate. He hadn’t planned on them ending up like this: he had really just wanted to be a little helpful, have a chat and cheer him up a little, to get to know Alec. But  the night had just turned out differently. Better. He knew tha Alec had been down about the breakup and Magnus knew he ran the risk of ending up just being a rebound when he came in this hot, this soon, but when the chance had presented itself, he had been unable to hold back. It wasn’t until now he saw just how much what had happened had effected Alec.

“If I’m going to be brutally honest” he started, looking at Alec’s beautiful face light up from the light outside “when I feel asleep, my plan from there was to stay the night, wake up and go to work; possibly looking and feeling thoroughly fucked, if we had the time, and then spending the first part of my day at work manning up to text you and ask you out on a date… If you said yes, I’d spend my break debating with myself whether or not I should get you something for Christmas, considering it’s in a few days and I don’t want to look crazy. I would probably end up on not getting you one, only to regret it and get something on my way home anyway. And once I got home I would watch a Christmas film on Netflix, while possibly, hopefully texting you”.

Listening to Magnus’ explanation, Alec couldn’t help but smile, feeling lighter, like he had been pinned down, trapped under a boulder and now it was finally being moved. “And if I said no?”

“I didn’t really want to think about that, so I didn’t plan anything for it” Magnus replied, wiggling his toes to try to keep them warm. “Unless you’ve had a change of heart… would you mind if I join you? I’m getting a little cold out here”

“Oh God, I’m sorry, come here” Alec shot, instantly feeling guilty as he lifted his arm to hold open the covers, letting Magnus joined him before wrapping them both up. Letting out a surprised gasp as he felt his cold hands and legs against his own warm skin, he pulled Magnus closer. “You are freezing”

“I was deprived of my not-so-mini heater” Magnus hummed, nuzzling his face against Alec’s neck, breathing him in as he let himself get wrapped up in the others long arms and legs.

Instantly feeling better with Magnus close, Alec let his hand run down his clothed back, following his spine down to his lower back. “Is that my jumper you're wearing?”

“Yes” Magnus answered, pressing his slightly cold lips against Alec’s warm neck. “I know I just admitted to having a whole day planned including you _and_ already stole your jumper, but I’m not crazy, I promise” he smiled.  

Chuckling, Alec squeezed him even a little tighter “I might be, a little bit”.

“Ok, maybe I am too, a teeny tiny bit” he echoed, already feeling much warmer and better.

“If you text tomorrow, I’ll say yes by the way” Alec said closing his eye again, not wanting to, but knowing he needed sleep.

“I think I might actually like this Christmas after all” Magnus whispered.

“Mhm” Alec hummed in agreement, feeling surprisingly perfectly happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for any comment and kudos you leave and thank you for reading :-)


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